47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (IND Sixth Avenue Line)

47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center
New York City Subway rapid transit station
300px
Station statistics
Address	Sixth Avenue between West 47th Street & West 50th Street New York, NY 10020
Borough	Manhattan
Locale	Midtown Manhattan
Coordinates
Division	B (IND)
Line	IND Sixth Avenue Line
Services	B  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)       D  (all times)       F  (all times)       M  (weekdays until 11:00 p.m.)
Transit connections	NYCT Bus: M5, M7, M50
Structure	Underground
Platforms	2 island platforms cross-platform interchange
Tracks	4
Other information
Opened	December 15, 1940 (1940-12-15)
Accessible
Wireless service
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	18,469,446  1.3%
Rank	13
Station succession
Next north	Seventh Avenue (Eighth Avenue): B  D  57th Street (63rd Street): F  Fifth Avenue / 53rd Street (Queens Boulevard): M
Next south	42nd Street – Bryant Park: B  D  F  M
Next north	59th Street – Columbus Circle (Eighth Avenue): B  D  Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (63rd Street): F  Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street (Queens Boulevard): M
Next south	34th Street – Herald Square: B  D  F  M
Station service legend Symbol Description Stops all times Stops weekdays only
Location

47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center is an express station on the IND Sixth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the D and F trains at all times, and the B and M trains on weekdays.

History

47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center opened as part of the mainline portion of the IND Sixth Avenue Line to West Fourth Street – Washington Square, with connections to the IND Queens Boulevard Line to the north. Express service began in 1967 with the completion of express tracks between West Fourth and 34th Streets and the opening of the Chrystie Street Connection.

Station layout

G	Street Level	Exit/Entrance
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, connection to Rockefeller Center via underground mall (Elevator at the northwest corner of 6th Avenue and 49th Street)
P Platform level	Southbound express	← toward Brighton Beach weekdays (42nd Street – Bryant Park) ← toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue via West End (42nd Street – Bryant Park)
	Island platform, doors will open on the right for local trains, left for express trains
	Southbound local	← toward Coney Island – Stillwell Avenue via Culver (42nd Street – Bryant Park) ← toward Middle Village – Metropolitan Avenue weekdays (42nd Street – Bryant Park)
	Northbound express	→ toward Bedford Park Boulevard rush hours, 145th Street middays and evenings (Seventh Avenue) → → toward Norwood – 205th Street (Seventh Avenue) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the right for express trains, left for local trains
	Northbound local	→ toward Jamaica – 179th Street (57th Street) → → toward Forest Hills – 71st Avenue weekdays (Fifth Avenue / 53rd Street) →

The station has two island platforms and four tracks, like most express stations, but has an unusual track arrangement. The uptown side has the traditional arrangement of local service on the outside track and express service on the inside track, but the downtown side reverses this (local on the inside, express on the outside). This is to avoid level junctions with the IND Queens Boulevard Line, which is perpendicular with the IND Sixth Avenue Line north of this station. Express trains come from the Bronx via a connection from the IND Eighth Avenue Line while local trains come from Queens via either the IND 63rd Street Line or the 53rd Street Tunnels. South of this station, the downtown local track crosses under the express track and the line returns to the traditional arrangement in both directions at 42nd Street - Bryant Park.

The station has numerous passageways and exits, including fourteen street entrances. This does not include several passageways through Rockefeller Center, all of which are outside fare control. The mezzanine has a full-time booth at its north end, at West 49th Street, with one passageway through Rockefeller Center on the east side, and another set of passageways through various Concourse levels of office buildings along the west side of Avenue of the Americas. A passageway to one northern part-time staircase leads to Radio City Music Hall and West 50th Street. This is usually open late during evening performances. Another passageway along the west side of 49th Street connects to the 49th Street subway station on the BMT Broadway Line outside of fare control. The middle fare control at West 48th Street has a ghost booth and all-day HEET access. The south fare control at West 47th Street has a part-time booth and more staircases.

Each platform has seven stairs to mezzanine, the north end of the northbound platform has an active tower, and is depressed about ten feet below the southbound platform. This is to prepare the lines to be branched out towards the Bronx and Queens. The color band is Permanent Red, with Chocolate Brown borders, "47" and "50" alternate each other below the tile band. The tiles above and below it are white. Also at this station, there is a sign next to the tower saying "What you punch is what you get"; this sign is referring to the automatic punch boxes on both tracks on the northbound platform. In the case of an emergency or service reroute, the express tracks can also be used to access the 63rd Street tunnel.

In popular culture

The station was featured in the 1976 film Marathon Man, where the former KK route's emblem is posted on a street entrance of the east side of Sixth Avenue and West 47th Street.

External links

• nycsubway.org—IND Sixth Avenue Line: 47th–50th Streets/Rockefeller Center
• Station Reporter — B Train
• 50th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 49th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 48th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 47th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Platforms from Google Maps Street View
• Mezzanine from Google Maps Street View